Several of my quilting friends have asked me how to make a lanyard, similar to the one I made for my friend Paula for her birthday - so here is my first attempt at a tutorial!! Hopefully your finished lanyard will look similar to the one here on the left.....

.....I started off with some scraps of fabric about 2½" wide which I sewed RS together with a ¼" seam. I pressed the seams open to reduce bulk. The finished length is about 36" - this can be made longer or shorter depending on your personal preference.....

.....then I pressed the fabric with a hot iron, WS together along the length, then unfolded it, and pressed the raw edges into the middle and pressed again. I then slipped on the swivel clip and joined the two ends together, again RS together, sewing with a ¼" seam - I pressed the seams open, again to reduce the bulk.....

.....then I sewed along both edges - it is really useful if you have an edge foot for this - I altered the needle position slightly to the left, and increased the stitch length - I have used a varigated thread for this too, which gives a nice effect. I put a few pins in to hold the edges together, moving the swivel clip along as I sewed.....

.....once I had sewed along both edges, I sewed in the loose threads and then I sewed a few stitches to keep the swivel clip in place. These swivel clips are really useful - I normally get mine from U-handbag - along with all my other bag-making accessories. I have made a similar attachment with a swivel clip on the end that I sew into tote bags, for attaching my car keys on when I'm out shopping (that was a  top tip from my friend Hanne!).....

.....drum roll please - here is the finished result!! What do you think?This swivel clip comes attached to a handy key ring too, which is really useful so you can add keys and other bits-and-bobs to it - it's also handy for attaching a small pair of scissors when you're sewing so you don't lose them!!

Friday 17th February is Friday Night Sew-In. Sign up over here and get your projects ready!! I did - I'm number 79! I've got my projects all ready - have you??
The Friday Night Sew-In is a virtual get together hosted by Heidi and her cousin Bobbi (aka Crafty Vegas  Mom). They try to schedule the FNSI the 3rd Friday of each month.


Here  are the participation guidelines.
1. When the sign-ups are posted - add  your name to the list with a link to your blog.
2. Make a  post on your blog  - letting all your readers know about the sew-in. Spread the word.. they could all  use the virtual sewing support and encouragement.
3. On the night of the  FNSI - Get your house settled, put on your comfy jammies..maybe make a cup of  tea or pour a glass of wine.. and sit down to work on some of those projects.
4. Then, sometime on Saturday - publish a post about that you worked  on.. show them a picture or two on Flickr. There is a FNSI group on Flickr if you  haven't already joined. Totally optional.
The name of the Flickr group  is FNSI.
Each month they giveaway something awesome to one lucky  participant.. some times they select 2 people.

As it is Valentine's Day, I thought I would share a picture of a quilt made with hearts.....

.....about 5 years ago I went on a class at Quilters Haven called "Stargazy Heartz" - this was based on a pattern by Jan Mullen. I went along with my daughter, Alice, who was just 13 years old at the time.....

.....we both made some blocks in different sizes, and decided to sew them together to make a wallhanging for her room. We used my favourite fabrics, batiks, and her favourite colours at the time which was pinks. These vibrant colours are really hot and spicey....

.....this was a great class and it was so nice to do a class with my daughter - she got hooked on stitching, and went on to become the Saturday girl at Quilters Haven for a few years, and chose textiles as an option for both GCSE and A-level at school.....

.....this was my very first attempt at free mothion quilting - I stitched around the outline of each heart "stitch-in-the-ditch" and then did lots of "wiggely-woo" curls and squirls - and finished the borders with some straight rows of quilting. Binding in batik was the ideal finish for this wall-hanging.. We both loved the finished project.